Broadway's Leading Ladies Head to Buffalo
The production of '4 Girls 4: A Christmas Together' will play Buffalo's 710 Main Theatre (formerly Studio Arena), on Wednesday Dec 3, 2014 for one night only. This 2 hour,one of a kind evening features the Broadway talent of
Andrea McArdle,
Donna McKechnie,
Faith Prince, and
Maureen McGovern. Such an embarrasment of riches hasn't graced this stage in decades, if ever.
Producer and noted Broadway playwright
Matthew Lombardo, along with co-producer
Rick Murray are no newcomers to presenting Broadway talent in regional theatres, but this is their first foray in the Buffalo market. Hoping to tap into the area's over 13,000 Shea's Broadway subscribers , Lombardo hopes ' to engage the theatre audiences of Western New York with quality first rate Broadway talent, in the intimate setting of the 710 Main Theatre.' Realizing that the shuttered Studio Arena has been struggling to find a solid core audience, Lombardo plans to bring a spark of Broadway to Buffalo. If all goes well and the production has positive tickets sales, he will consider future programming in the venue.
Lombardo and Murray have presented such talent as
Tommy Tune and
Carol Channing,
Betty Buckley,
Alan Cumming, and
Linda Eder to great success in Provincetown, San Francisco, Miami, Connecticut and Boston. Lombardo penned the Broadway hits 'LOOPED' with
Valerie Harper portraying Talulah Bankhead in her TONY nominated role, as well as 'HIGH' starring
Kathleen Turner.
Accompanied by noted Broadway arranger and conductor
John McDaniel (formerly of The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Pops conductor of The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), '4 Girls 4' highlights the four careers of these Broadway leading ladies. Originally produced by
Wayne Gmitter and
John McDaniel, we are treated to each of the ladies telling a brief personal story of their career, while singing highlights of the shows that made them famous.
Andrea McArdle, who came to fame as Broadway's original ANNIE in 1977, is the youngest of the quartet. It's hard to think of the hit 'The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow' without hearing McArdle's booming voice. She relays her journey from child star, graduating to Andrew Lloyd Weber's 'Starlight Express' and Broadway's 'Les Miserables.' McArdle toured in
Jerry Hermans 'Jerry's Girls' with
Carol Channing and
Leslie Uggams, and shares Channing's advice to her as a young performer. Interestingly, McArdle shared the Broadway stage with McKechnie in the brief run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'State Fair.'
Faith Prince, who will forever be known as Miss Adelaide in 'Guys and Dolls,' shares a glimpse of her Tony Award winning portayal. The hilarity that ensues includes her backstage stories of a Summerstock production of 'On a Clear Day..' as well as performing the late
Mary Rodgers side splitting , lisping 'The Boy from...'
Miss Prince starts rehearsals in the new year for the Broadway bound new musical 'The First Wives Club.' She plays the role made famous by
Bette Midler in the film version.
Grammy nominated recording artist and Broadway veteran
Maureen McGovern may be best known for her recordings of 'The Morning After' and 'Can You Read My Mind.' She played Mabel in
Joseph Papp's incarnation of 'The Pirates of Penzance' and more recently the role of Marmee in 'Little Women The Muscial.'
Donna McKechnie, best known for her TONY winning role of Cassie in 'A Chorus Line,' will highlight her career starting as a Broadway chorine in 1961, working her way up to featured roles in 'Promises, Promises' and 'Company.' Briefly married to famed choroegrapher, Buffalo's own
Michael Bennett, her personal journey is told through stories, song and ultimately in brief dance routines. Her rendition of 'The Music in the Mirror' from 'A Chorus Line' caps off her segment.
The ladies start and end the show together and will include some Christmas tunes throughout the evening. This special one night event is sure to be a sell out, as talent of this caliber on one stage is indeed a rarity. Let's hope for more presentations of similar talent in the near future. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or at Shea's Performing Arts Center Box Office, 646 Main Street.
-Michael Rabice,
Contributing Editor
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